We like to think we’re in complete control of the decisions we make. From the sandwich we ordered for lunch to the Netflix show we watched last night. Yet, in each case, we’ve got a hidden partner, one that influences nearly every decision we make.

That partner is the designer.

Whether we’re reading a restaurant menu or scrolling a website, we’re taking in information that’s been presented to us in a certain way. These conscious – or unconscious – choices that designers make can influence what we decide. In many cases, though, it’s an aspect of decision making we don’t think too much about.

It’s this element of decision science that Eric Johnson, Professor at Columbia Business School, has spent his life studying. It’s the focus of his book, The Elements of Choice: Why the Way We Decide Matters, and it is truly fascinating. In fact, I bet you’ll walk away from this interview with at least one insight that gets you thinking about design and decision making.

Episode Links

The Decision Lab

Sleights of Mind

Choice Architecture

Coffee Meets Bagel

Derren Brown

Naomi Mandel

Query Theory

Curse of Choice

Experimentation Works by Stefan Thomke

Medicine. Do Defaults Save Lives?

Endowment Effect

Replication Crisis

Meta-analysis

The Team

Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here.

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CM 198: Eric Johnson on the Science of Decision-Making

Curious Minds at Work

CM 198: Eric Johnson on the Science of Decision-Making